A communications director central to the Publish Workplace’s technique to hold software program issues out of public stated that he and others believed they had been doing the best factor.
Mark Davies, former group communications and company affairs director at Publish Workplace, and the general public relations crew performed a task in obstructing journalists investigating allegations made by subpostmasters in opposition to the Publish Workplace’s Horizon accounting system utilized in branches.
Subpostmasters had been blamed and printed for unexplained accounting shortfalls, with lots of wrongly convicted of monetary crimes based mostly on proof from the system. Many had been jailed and lots of extra had their lived destroyed.
Davies was the most recent former Publish Workplace government to be questioned in the latest Publish Workplace Horizon scandal public inquiry listening to. The previous communications director was asked by inquiry barrister Julian Blake whether or not he and others in his crew had ever requested themselves, “Would possibly we be the baddies?”. Davies stated many instances: “We actually believed we had been doing the best issues.”
However proof proven within the inquiry revealed that in 2013, following information that former subpostmaster Martin Griffith was critically ailing in hospital after trying to take his personal life, one of many first issues Davies did was to inform the Publish Workplace’s basic counsel of the necessity to discover a specialist media lawyer. On the time, Griffiths was being compelled to repay unexplained account shortfalls on the Horizon system and was shedding his Publish Workplace department. Griffiths died in hospital weeks later.
Davies wrote in an e-mail instantly following information of Griffith’s hospitalisation: “Given the potential media factor please can we line up a specialist media lawyer in case we want pressing recommendation this night.”
Davies advised the inquiry: “This was a extremely deeply and tragic and horrible case and all people on the Publish Workplace was deeply, deeply shocked once we learn the e-mail.” He stated that his function meant that he had a accountability to ensure they’d somebody with the best authorized experience available to advise on the matter.
The general public inquiry additionally heard that Davies praised controversial former Publish Workplace CEO Paula Vennells and senior government Angela van den Bogerd in his witness assertion. Blake put to Davies that he was “portray an image of a communications crew and senior management crew that was dedicated to opening as much as problem [over Horizon]” in his witness assertion. Davies stated this was a good description.
However Blake challenged Davies on the Publish Workplace’s lack of openness with journalists and its declare that every one subpostmaster shortfalls had been brought on by the subpostmasters and never Horizon errors. Blake stated: “What we have now seen right here from 2013 onwards is, yr after yr, the identical mantra. As director of communications, had been you liable for pursuing that mantra?”
“Under no circumstances,” Davies replied, claiming that the Publish Workplace had been open with journalists.
Proof within the listening to revealed that Davies performed a task in devising Publish Workplace technique past communications. Following publication of an interim report on the Horizon system in June 2013, carried out by unbiased forensic accountants Second Sight, which revealed critical issues with the Horizon system, Davies was tasked by the board to create a response.
Blake stated Davies was doing greater than drafting press releases, devising “a complete technique for the corporate to take ahead in response to the Second Sight interim report”. Davies denied this and stated that the press launch and the Publish Workplace’s place had been the identical factor.
Davies defended Horizon in opposition to claims made in opposition to it, even by the forensic investigators the Publish Workplace contracted to look at it. Following the publication of Second Sight’s remaining report in April 2015, which stated the Publish Workplace had prosecuted folks for theft and false accounting earlier than investigating the reason for unexplained account shortfalls, Davies wrote a letter within the Publish Workplace Subspaceonline journal. In it, he knowledgeable subpostmasters of the organisation’s perception that a lot of the media reporting of the alleged issues with its Horizon accounting system had been blown as much as current an alarming image that didn’t mirror actuality.
He wrote: “A lot of the reporting is designed, as reporting typically is, to current an image which seems alarming: it doesn’t nonetheless mirror the fact of the state of affairs, which is a way from that you could be examine or see on the TV.”
Davies additionally wrote the Second Sight report didn’t help its claims with info. “Sadly, the forensic accountants have additionally repeated allegations which aren’t supported by the info. We can’t in fact help their findings on these factors – and you wouldn’t count on us to do in any other case.”
One e-mail proven to the inquiry revealed that Davies advised Publish Workplace CEO Paula Vennells that he believed Second Sight had been “colluding with” the campaigning subpostmasters of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA), “reasonably than appearing as unbiased gamers”. Within the e-mail, he stated: “There’s a campaigning coalition in opposition to us and [Second Sight] are a part of it.”
Davies admitted this did spotlight a priority that Publish Workplace had over Second Sight’s independence.
The Publish Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Pc Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered as a consequence of accounting software program (see beneath for timeline of Pc Weekly articles in regards to the scandal, since 2009).
Additionally learn: What you’ll want to know in regards to the Horizon scandal.
Additionally watch: ITV’s documentary – Mr Bates vs The Publish Workplace: The true story
